I had some personal business I needed to conduct in the next state over. It was a good excuse to get out of the house and see how the world beyond my local area was doing. The trip was 300+ miles, round-trip, mostly all interstates and toll routes. Started out early in the morning and didn't get home until after 10PM. The first thing that struck me? The number of 18-wheelers on the rode.
On the drive to my destination there was a definite lack of passenger vehicles -- nowhere near what you'd normally expect to see. I suspect that's because those who can are still working from home and a lot of people are not travelling on vacation. Most of the traffic I encountered was due to trucks. There are trucks EVERYWHERE. I saw multiple Amazon trucks, Aldi food trucks, a truck loaded with crates of apples, trucks transporting gasoline, even a truck loaded down with a shipment of plywood. There was definitely no lack of trucks on the highways.
I must admit to being surprised, as we're being led to believe that there are shortages of goods, truckers who are losing out because they're not jabbed, not enough truckers available to haul, etc., etc.
As surprising as all of this was, I was even more stunned on the drive home. The highways were teeming with trucks. At night, they're about the only thing on the road -- encountered very few passenger cars. When it got late, the rest stops were packed with truckers laying over for the night. Trucks were parked in every possible parking spot and every available space. Even saw truckers pulled off along the sides of the roads for the night.
I don't know what was in all of these trucks, but there's definitely stuff being transported somewhere. So where is it all going and what are they doing with it? In my area, I'm already having problems finding things in the stores and seeing empty shelves. Things are getting curiouser and curiouser, frens.
Truckers, truckers, everywhere, but shelves they show a gap, Truckers, truckers, everywhere, the sheeple take their nap.
Just out of curiosity... no fans of Coleridge? Rhyme of the Ancient Mariner? My couplet was modeled after one of the most famous couplets of all time, and I am agreeing with and building on the OP's statement. So I am mighty curious about the downvotes. Not bothered by them... just curious.
That passage is one of my favorite of all time . . .
all in a hot and copper sky, the bloody sun at noon, right above the mast did stand, no bigger than the moon
day after day, day after day, we stuck, nor breath nor motion, as idle as a painted ship upon a painted ocean
water water everywhere and all the boards did shrink, water water everywhere nor any drop to drink
Wonderful! A fellow English/Literature major, perhaps? This brings back an amazing memory: my youngest was a senior in high school a couple years ago, and she competed in speech in the poetry event. She performed the Rhyme of the Ancient Mariner... it brought goosebumps to my skin watching and listening to her. Thanks for sharing the quote.
Side note on Coleridge... he was a laudanum addict and frequently wrote his poems following a "dream" from his trips. It is said that when he wrote Xanadu that someone woke him up toward the end of his dream and he could not recapture how it ended, so what we read as Xanadu today is really a truncated piece of the intended work.
not an English major but I did memorize that passage in high school and did a bit of poetry reading in competitions : )
Coleridge was fine. People may not be exposed to the classics anymore, though.
Truth. And, it's really too bad--the Rhyme... what an amazing piece of work. When my kids were younger (they're out of the house, now) I would read that to them once every few years, and it resulted in many wonderful conversations that changed as their maturity evolved.
I also read Tolkien's works and the Harry Potter series out loud, too, so I don't want to come across as stodgy!
No down-votes from me, Pede. I'm a HUGE fan of [lol] repurposeing poetry and song lyrics - or their meters, just for fun or even for more serious revelations.
Just for fun: "Nasa's building our Planet's ring of tires." [Johnny & June] (the way to re-use all of those discarded tires - and create a tourist attraction for visiting aliens).
And your "paraphrase"(?) of "The Rhyme..." has an excellent purpose as well as a humorous take. GOOD ON YA! More please!
I appreciate it. My wife's a huge JC fan (Johnny, AND Jesus, for that matter, lol).
So about your post... I have noticed a shit-ton of trucks, too, way more than usual. I frequently drive I-80 between Cheyenne and Chicago. I see exactly what you described. A huge uptick. And yet there are the coastal shipping yards jammed up with unloaded ships. One thing I have also noticed, though, is that there have not been as many trains in my neck of the woods. I wonder... is it possible that rail freight has become too expensive, or is being choked down for a reason, thus resulting in a lot more trucking?
Sorry, changeagent. I can't take credit for the original post. That is due - with all respect - to our dear Pede "LoneWulf". But I do have a theory related to the train/highway traffic differences.
With MAD respect for our Truckers, the increase in truck traffic is a globalist effort to make the highways more dangerous for us all; indeed, the train shipping is being held back to create shortages and to re-direct the loads onto the roads (pun intended). Betcha Warren Buffet (also a railroad guy) is cooperating major big-time. I think that even the derailing in Montana was "intended".
As always, NOW is the time for prayer! God has GOT this! No, I don't understand how prayer works and I don't understand why it's even necessary (He already knows, right?). HOWEVER, in prayer, we are working WITH The Lord God Almighty. For real? YES! Heart to heart with THE ONE ETERNAL! PRAY with rejoicing and with expectation of GOODNESS! JESUS. NEVER. FAILS!
THANK YOU FOR BEING HERE!
I like Coleridge. Not so big a fan of Wordsworth. Did not like my Romantics Professor as he had me blacklisted in the 80s for not “knowing my place” in University. I got him fired. Long story. Coleridge is great, though.
Sounds like a story worth hearing.
Wordsworth... he was actually my favorite, particularly because of "Tintern Abbey" (that's the abbreviated title). I once had the opportunity to visit those ruins. Spectacular is a word that hardly does justice to that amazing place.
It's funny how a teacher can make/break something for you. Except for math. Math just broke me.
It did for me, too, in high school. So, I went back to high school post university to conquer my math “deficiencies”. My teacher ended up being someone I had known in university. (It was weird having a teacher that you had held her hair while she was puking drunk. We didn’t let on that we knew each other, though. We inquired as to conflicts of interest). She knew how to teach math though! At least to my way of learning. Not only did I ace the tests, I was able to understand the whys and wherefores of what I was doing. I started doing math problems for fun. Became a bit of a math geek for awhile. So, you are SO right. The teacher can make or break it. Wow, that was a LONG time ago. Even more of a shame now, with so many teachers just there to seemingly corrupt and belittle kids. Not all, but a fair number.